Private Viewing : Thursday 3rd July 6-9pm.
The URBICIDE IN PALESTINE EXHIBITION BY MARIA THOMPSON
The theme of this exhibition is the partition of Israel and Palestine and an environmental project.
Any profits raised from the exhibition will be donated to ‘ReSign’, launched in January 2013 (under the umbrella of GREEN Palestine).
This became the first professional recycling project in Bethlehem district, reusing waste and turning it into a variety of useful and artistic products.
Maria Thompson first went to Israel in 1997 as a volunteer for the British Council. Returning in April 2014 , She found herself immersed in the ‘ Bustan qaraaqa’ (‘Tortoise Garden’) permaculture farm project.
Based in Bethlehem in the West Bank, ‘Bustan Qaraaqa ‘is a permaculture project promoting sustainable, creative solutions to problems of environmental degradation and food and water insecurity facing the local community.
She returned with a portfolio of photographs and a renewed determination to generate greater political awareness of peace-led projects created in the enclave.
A bit about Artist Maria Thompson:
She has been a part-time photographer since 2008.
Her first exhibition was at Red Gate Gallery in Brixton when she produced ‘Comfort in Chaos’ in 2009.
This involved Corset fashion-based portraiture and photographs of ‘Akademi’ Indian dancers.
Described by Red Gate Gallery : ” Thompson’s work has on the one hand elements of the burlesque, yet subtle undertones. On the other hand Thompson was very interested to take ethnicity out of its initial context by photographing Indian classical dancers within a completely different environment. Stylistically, Thompson’s work is contemporary and subtle. Her pictorial compositions are well thought through and introduce the viewer to very interesting interplays between subject and depth of field.”
Her corset fashion images were used by prominent corset-designer Velda Lauder, and subsequently featured in ‘Second Skin’ a global art-fashion Book . They were also used in Velda’s autobiography publication ‘Corsets, A modern girl’s guide’ and displayed at the Salon International de la Lingerie show in Paris, 2010.